Students learned about natural balances and cycles that exist in an ecosystem (nitrogen cycle, water cycle, photosynthesis/cellular respiration, and food webs/food chains). They also explored how human impact can disrupt the balance (pollution, deforestation, extinction, climate change, etc). After using the scientific method to determine that the Hammond courtyard was a healthier ecosystem than the school building, students conducted tests on air quality, water quality, and CO2 Levels at Hammond. Students were allowed to choose their experiments. When school closed, students were beginning to develop plans on how to make Hammond a healthier and more balanced ecosystem.
Cohort member: Tyler Eckhoff
Students: English Language learners in the 6th/7th International Academy at Francis C. Hammond Middle School
Essential Question: How can we impact an ecosystem?
Life Science 6 The student will investigate and understand that organisms within an ecosystem are dependent on one another and on nonliving components of the environment. Key concepts include
a) the carbon, water, and nitrogen cycles;
b) interactions resulting in a flow of energy and matter throughout the system;
c) complex relationships within terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems; and
d) energy flow in food webs and energy pyramids.
Life Science 9 The student will investigate and understand how organisms adapt to biotic and abiotic factors in an ecosystem. Key concepts include
a) differences between ecosystems and biomes;
b) characteristics of land, marine, and freshwater ecosystems; and
c) adaptations that enable organisms to survive within a specific ecosystem.
Students also worked on issues of Injustice and Activism
